Hyrule's Beast
by leomonta
Summary: He works in the shadows with a shade by his side. A dangerous beast with a heart of compassion. A being of both man and animal yet a savoir to Hyrule's crown. But while he's lived 17 years as a human the concept of living as part wolf is hard to deal with...so how does he deal?
1. From Dog to Dog

These are short drabbles in no particular order about the wolf part of Link's journey and the perks and downfalls that comes with being a wolf. Or just anything related to dogs.

Previously titled From Dog to Dog

Enjoy

**From Dog to Dog**

Off in the distance, the vibrant glow of the sun was slowly falling down for its nighttime slumber. Its setting rays casted lengthy shadows across structures and inhabitants followed by an orange light that lit their fronts. Those inhabitants at the time just happened to be a young man garbed in green and a shadowy imp who floated nearby, acting as the boy's vacant shadow. They sat upon the top step of the look-out, gazing at the bridge running across Lake Hylia in silence as they stared at the fiery sight.

In a solemn tone the wispy shadow broke the silence, "Link."

Link didn't respond at first, choosing instead to continue starting at the setting sun. He'd been in a bad mood all day after he'd seen Ilia. After coming half way across Hyrule in search of she couldn't even remember him. When he saw her for the first time in weeks at Telma's bar, Link thought his journey had just reached a silver lining. But when he looked in her eyes, he saw a stranger.

Link had been silently fuming and cursing the monster that had taken her at the springs. If only he had paid more attention to his surroundings he could have done something! Anything! But he hadn't. Along with Ilia, Link had been knocked unconscious, and now his friend had no recollection of their childhood. Or Him.

He turned his head slightly to give his friend a side glance. He felt rather bad about taking his frustration out on Midna. Sure, most of the time she was snarky, stuck up, and sometimes just downright mean, but he'd come to recognize most of what she said was just poorly instigated compassion. Most of the time.

"I-uh...it's," she started, "it's been a while since we started this journey."

He smiled inwardly. She was attempting to cheer him up even after ignoring her for most of the day. _You deserve a better friend than me Midna._ Taking one last longing glance at the setting sun he settled to shove his nasty attitude away and take up the conversation Midna was so awkwardly trying to produce.

He didn't need to be angry anyway. His friend was still there. Still alive. That was what was important.

"It has, hasn't it," he responded, speaking the truth. It had been many long, hard weeks since his first step through the twilight, and from the looks of it he still had many more to go. "You know. I don't think even in my wildest dreams I could have thought of something crazier than starting out one day as your average goat herder and then suddenly being thrust on an adventure to save the world," he gestured vaguely with his arm, "as a dog."

Really though, the dog part got him every time he thought about his travels. How was keeping the form of a human any more difficult than a wolf?

Satisfied she had finally received a response after a day of silence and moping, she replied with just as much sass as her normal persona required, " My my, the mutt is ungrateful. And after all I've done for it. I treated you as though you were my pet. What more could such a helpless creature want?"

I grinned. Glad my moping and fuming hadn't dampened her spirit any, but with that prattle she was practically asking for an argument, "Did you know you smell like fish?" It wasn't really true; she despised the things and wouldn't even go near one over a fire spit. Truth be told she didn't smell like much, even as a wolf. If Link had to pick, the closest thing she smelled like was the sun.

She'd hate to be told that though.

"Fish? Those Vermin?" Chuckling in-between her insult, "You my pet might just be the worst dog in all of your sun-soaked land." She floated out in front of Link, blocking fleeing sun, and becoming a dark blob with one fire colored iris peeking out from beneath her helmet, "A being of shadow has no smell. How could it when its existence is the absence of light its self."

Biting his lip to contain his laughter, he wondered how far he could that this. She _was _fairly uptight about her image, "No no. I'm pretty sure I smelled fish when you were on my back. Or my basement. They're kind of one and the same."

Unable to keep a straight much longer, Link proceeded to rise from his spot on his stone step and climb to the top to retrieve his equipment. As he swiveled around gathered up his belonging sitting on the grass near the top step he could swear he hear the distinct sound of a purposeful sniff.

Oh~ Midna was going to get him back for this, but even so he couldn't help but smile at her antics.

"I do NOT smell like those floundering vermin!"

Cutting her off before she could continue to whine, "Come on Midna, I want to be back in Castle Town for the night. I don't really feel like sleeping with the wolves tonight. Despite what you might think they're not the most hospitable of animals."

"You're lying! I DO NOT smell like fish! I refuse to go anywhere until you take back your wor-"

"Shh!"

Now furious, she curled her tiny hands into fists as though preparing to strike, "You do NOT get to shush me!"

"Then quiet, I hear rustling in the bush over there," Link stated, carefully trailing his left hand up the hilt of his Ordonian blade to grasp it firmly around the handle. The bush was quiet and hadn't made a noise since a few moments ago, but if Link had learned anything in his days of roaming Hyrule it was to never let your guard down.

Midna leaned in next to his ear and mentioned in a whisper, "Then get over there and get rid of it so you can return to begging me to accept your desperate apology!" With that she dispersed her impish form and retreated back into the realm of Link's shadow.

Appreciating the silence Link drew his sword and unhooked his shield, waiting for the mysterious figure to emerge. However, only silenced passed between Link and the shrubbery and he pondered whether or not he had just witnessed a squirrel fleeing or something as insignificant. His wandering mind had refocused on the aforementioned bush when he spotted the skeletal figure step forward from its hiding place.

The skeleton limped on three limbs, its forepaw clearly detached from the dead beast. Broken or shattered bones protruded through the decaying skin on its back, surrounded by a black wispy presence holding the bag of bones together. Link visibly relaxed. While stalhounds were annoying when trekking through the fields past dark, the regretful souls went down fairly easily.

Link brandished his blade and waited for the dead animal to lunge, but the strike never came. He stood poised for an attack but the three legged canine only sat down on its haunches and produced noises that sounded uncanningly like panting.

Put off guard Link didn't know what to make of his predicament. He stared at the skeleton-dog, wagging its boney tail back and forth, swiping at the blades of grass beneath it. Link loosely turned his head around, as if to make sure no one was pulling his leg, but it was just the dog and him. Lost on what to do, he slowly made an arch around the creature towards the exit, never letting his eyes waver.

Bones creaking in the attempt, the dog rose to its limbs and hobbled over to Link's side, wagging its tail all the way. Disturbed and interest peaked, Link stopped walking to watch the skeletal hound approach. Sure enough it didn't pounce and stayed a few feet away. It was intriguing; all of the monsters he had mimed or put to rest had initiated the first strike, identifying themselves in his mind as insane or mad with rage. Unreasonable. But the dog in front of him was acting differently. Was it even a dog? It could've been a wolf or a coyote. It was hard to decipher with just bones and patches of dried skin and fur. Curious about the newly found, passive version of a stalhound, Link stepped forward and slowly extended his hand.

"Link. What are you doing?" The voice caught him off guard. He'd nearly forgotten about Midna in his musings.

"Not entirely sure. It seems safe enough."

"Says the man who wanted to touch the lava to see how hot it was."

"I've lived in a forest for the past 17 years, we don't get lava where I come from," he shot back. Midna's only response was to snort and usher a half hearted 'don't die'.

Returning back to reality, the dog had scooted up next to his legs and was nudging his hand with its jaw. Surprised, it took him a few seconds to regroup his bearings. The snout was hard and gritty against his hand, and this close the stale smell of bones and rotten meat was stomach retching but the gesture was something undeniably canine. It reminded him of the numerous times he had poked his head at the twilight spirits, hoping to get a reaction.

Link squatted down next dog and placed his gloved hand upon its skull, gently patting the dried tufts of hair. The dog's tail speed up its rampant wagging and let out a hollow bark resounding from somewhere inside its cavernous head.

"Bark bark to you too pal. Sorry I can't talk to you any better right now," he smiled. While the creature was undeniably a moving piece of dead dog the fact it acted just like any hound back at Ordon made it appear no different than a friendly pet.

He sat there with the stalhound watching the twilight fade to the navy blue sky of the evening. Link didn't say anything nor did the friendly hound try anything. They just sat with the grass beneath them and the twinkling stars above.

As the time passed the stalhound's panting grew quiet and its tail stopped moving. The glowing green light of the hound's eyes was fading and Link was wondering if it was dying. Could it?

Link stayed with it until it had gone limb with its head on his lap. The glow from its eyes had vanished and the faint, wispy, black magic that had encompassed the body was slowly seeping through the bones and out into the night sky. Link watched as it floated away and left behind the pile of bones of the stalhound.

Carefully giving the dog one last pat, he whispered to no one in particular, "You just wanted someone to be there with you when you went. I'm sorry I couldn't have done more."

"You did what you could," he heard Midna respond back just as quietly.

Link just nodded.

.

* * *

.

So. How'd I do? It's a first for writing a short, if you liked it then please feel free to express your undeniable love for my story in that box thing you write words in. You'd be my next best friend after bacon.

Forgive me for spelling/ and grammar/ and canon errors.

If you're one of those people like me who want to say something but are too lazy to string together more than two sentences of coherent thought then I have questions you can answer.

1) It's marked as complete now, but would you guys want to see more shorts of this kind?

2) How'd I do on Midna? She was odd to write because she's not just sass and sarcasm. She's like that...plus a royal pain in the butt.

3) Did it make you emotional at all? Any tears? Or Awwws? I honestly don't know when I wrote this it was like every two paragraphs I'd go do something else.

All rights go to Nintendo and everyone else who owns it. I own nothing...so sad...


	2. Reasons for Literacy

**There are Reasons Some People Don't Like to Read**

Link walked into a musty little store cluttered with books either piled high or pressed snugly together on low shelves. It was dimly lit with a fading light enchantment on the ceiling, and the shop, the _Leaves of Knowledge, _appeared small and insignificant despite its reputation as a repository for numerous books. Link pressed on anyway. His only plan was to purchase a book, not dawdle at the store's size.

The ageing store clerk behind the counter appeared to be restoring a book binding, but his constant upward glance didn't go unnoticed by Link. By now Link was not unaccustomed to glares and accusatory 'evil eyes'. As he neared closer and closer to Hyrule's capitol during his quest, he noticed the glares from certain individuals becoming ever more viscous and resenting. If looks could kill, than the people in Castle Town had it down to an art. The people would stare down any sentry who happened to stroll by their line of sight, hating the undisciplined guard who stole all of the advantages and perks the occupation offered, but when push came to shove, they ran away before even encountering the opponent. So whenever Link passed through Castle Town, his noticeable sword and shield tagged him as a prime target for side glances and behind the counter muttering.

But Link let it slide, as it was only an act brought on by anger and misunderstanding. Although, he hoped for the well being of everyone that the Hylian city guards would shape up and fix their reputation as bulwarks of the city, because in thier current state, they could hardly settle a domestic dispute. And despite how much he respected justice, it was not flattering in the least to be mistaken as part of the task force.

Moving his thoughts aside, he navigated through mountains of books and shelves home to works written by authors he'd never heard of before, sliding his hand lightly over the bindings as he mumbled the named of books he saw. Bending over slightly at the end of one of the dust covered shelves, Link looked intensely through a section loosely categorized for animals.

Horses 101, The Mysterious Nature of the House Cat, Farm Animals, he stopped, pulling out a narrow book entitled Seven Ways to Get a Monkey to Leave You Alone. Curious as to what Hyrule might have to say about the mischievous primates, he cracked open the book with an audible creek and briefly read a snip-it out loud.

**Way One**

**Intimidation**

Capture

Set up a metal cage near where they normally steal your belongings.

Be sure the cage is covered thoroughly with foliage. If you can tell it's a cage, chances are they can as well.

Inside the cage place some of their favorite items.

Waiting

However often the little thieves come around wait around near the cage with a rope in your hand and be ready to pull the gate shut.

The Body

Link slammed the book shut before he could read anymore of the disturbing depiction, fully disgusted that there existed some people out there who would kill the playful primates just to get rid of them. And in such ruthless way as well, showing off the corpse to its companions. The sick minded person who wrote this obviously had had no encounters with the animals.

He hastily returned the books to its slot upon the shelf before continuing his search; however, he was rudely interrupted by the store owner, "Yer not buyin' then ge' out lad. I don' need window shoppers in me shop." He heard the old man utter.

Slightly irritated, Link half-heartedly muttered an apology, returning to his activity of searching the animal section for his desired book. When he had no luck in the animal department he inquired the owner about his desired book, "Do you have any books on wolves or wolfos sir?"

He gave Link a hard look, as if deciding whether to answer, but gave in and responded to his question, "Yer lookin' in the wrong place, ye won' find monsters in the animal section," he motioned to a wall on the opposite side decorated with a sparse supply of thick novels, "ye gunna actually do yer job like we pay taxes for ye to?"

Ignoring the insult, Link made his way over to the poor selection of books on monsters. With the meager amount of books about monsters, it was not difficult in the least to spot a book with a cover hosting an unmistakable wolf picture. Swiping the book off its own shelf, he trekked over the counter and placed the book lightly down on it, waiting for the clerk to declare his price and pulling out his rupee pouch in the process.

The man held the leather bound stack of papers and looked up at Link, "Well yer a bi' late on the monster slayin' bandwagon. Ye lazy bums havn' been doin' yer jobs sos the people's hadda start fendin' fer themselves." The owner of _The Leaves of Knowledge _took one quick look at the cover before he huffed in the way that said 'figures', "Jus' like yer folk too. When ye decide te finally do job ye go afta' the monster tha's no' the problem."

Sighing, and also rather irritated by the man's rather inconsiderate remarks, Link just quietly responded, "Look, can I please just buy the book? Come on, just give me a price and I'll be out of your shop in two minutes."

The owner eyed Link carefully, for what he didn't know, but he was getting tired of this man's consistent bad behavior.

"150."

Link's eyes went wide, "One hundred and fifty rupees?" He exclaimed, pulling his hand away from his wallet. He wasn't about to get scammed over some book, "It's a book. I'll pay 30 for it."

"No deal." He stated.

Not desiring to hassle the man for a lower price, Link took a deep breath and released it in the form of a sigh, "You know what, just, keep the book. I'll find something somewhere else." With that he pocketed his wallet in one of his numerous pouches and headed for the wooden door that led outside, planning on calling his book search to a quit and just relaxing somewhere else.

As he neared the door for one last time the man spoke up, "Coward," he muttered.

Even though Link was thoroughly irked, he ignored the comment, instead pushing through the door. On his way out he heard the blunted and muffled sounds of toppling books hitting the ground behind him and...the twinkle of magic? A yelp was heard from the man inside the small shop before Link shut the door fully.

He walked out into the brightly lit, afternoon street of Castle Town. People nonchalantly passed him by. Street vendors peddled their wares, but he only had eyes for one particular shadow forever locked to his stride.

"Midna," he scolded knowingly.

At the turn of the second corner, she laughed in her obnoxious way, but a way that was ever so Midna.

{°~•••~°}

"Hey honey, how's it going with Ashei?"

Link hummed a little disgruntled sound before answering Telma's question," Alright I guess. We're trying to figure out what's gotten into Zora Domain. We've managed track it up to the mouth of the mountain but we're not sure where to go from there." He picked up his milk and stole a sip before continuing his explanation, "The further up the mountain we go the colder it gets. Too cold to wander around aimlessly."

Telma gave Link an understanding frown, "Can't say I know a lot about Snow Peak hun," she replied sadly, but instantly afterwards her face lit up, and she shared some valuable information, "I _do_ know there used to be a family of nobles who lived there during the summer. It was a long, long time ago now but I'm sure there's still some maps left. If you can get yourself one of those maps than you can push on."

Link raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. He'd been around quite a bit of Hyrule by now, but he hadn't heard of any abandoned mansions up north, "Really?" He asked curious if there might be such a key left around to aid him on his quest, "I haven't heard anything about one before. You really think there'd be any maps left?"

Telma shook her head, her red braids and hair accessories jingling lightly, "Don't know honey, but if anyone knew about any paper trails left behind, then your best guess is Shad over there."

"Shad?"

Telma nodded her head towards the alcove in the back, "MmHmm. The young man in the back with his nose in one of those books of his." He turned his head to stare at Shad who was absorbed in his book and wasn't even noticing his party's conversation, "If there were any maps left over of that time then he'll for sure've read 'em."

"Hey Shad hun," she called to the back room, "would you come over for a sec? Link has something to ask you."

The three companions sitting at a small wooden table, mulling over a displayed map, looked up as one, perhaps responding to the noise or perhaps truly interested in their friend's business, but after one or two seconds only Shad's gaze remained true. The young man with a formidable amount of pouches draped across his waist readjusted his circular glasses before heading over to meet Telma and Link.

"Good afternoon. Telma. Link. What was it that you needed me for?" He inquired politely, pushing up his glasses before returning his arm loosely to his side.

Link placed his empty glass of milk on the counter and readied himself to talk, but before he had a chance to, Telma took the initiative and did so for him, "Link here was wondering if you had any maps on mountain trails leading to that old ruined mansion up on Snow Peak." Link nodded along with the question.

Shad thought silently to himself before responding, "No, I do not believe I've read about any trails leading up to Snow Peak." Link deflated, he was hoping Shad would have some hint about how to proceed, "Why did you need to go there anyway?"

"Ashei's got a lead that makes us think there's something up there." He responded dully. Telma had tuned out of their conversation by now and it left Link and Shad staring at each other awkwardly. Now that he thought about it, this was one of the few times they had talked 1-on-1. In the previous times Shad had been shadowed in the resistance's conversations, so Link possessed no real need to start small talk. Now he kind of wished he had.

Shad leaned lightly against the bar counter, quickly glance at his book, looking like he wanted to end the conversation and continue reading but knew that would be rude. His attempts at speech didn't go unrewarded though, "It's a shame we weren't all born with fur coats like wolves." Link responded instantly to the word wolves; although, he tried dearly not to look obvious," The rascals are notorious around those parts. They seem to get around just fine despite the frigid weather."

Confused, Link asked for clarification, "Wolves live in tundras? I thought they only lived in forested areas."

Happy to not be standing idly, "Oh yes. They are quite abundant in the snowier regions as well as the forested area associated with southern Hyrule. Their thick coats allow them to stay warm in temperatures well below freezing."

Wow...he felt rather stupid. Sure he never particularly noticed the frosty winds that came during Hyrule's nights, but Link did not know the mane would extend its purpose to fit the freezing weather up north as well. Had he know the thick fur would allow him to survive the cold weather he would have already been out there.

He couldn't say it out loud, but in his mind he gratefully thanked Shad for providing him with much needed insight. Now the only problem that stood in his way was convincing Ashei to allow him to continue the investigation alone.

"That's...amazing," Link stated, genuinely interesting the topic but not knowing what to say next. He didn't have to wade in the quiet time of social ineptness for long because he was suddenly reminded of what he was planning on doing that morning, "Shad, do you happen to own any books on wolves I could borrow?"

Shad smiled with a little twinkle in his eye, "Our conversation made you curious?"

"Something like that," he gestured accordingly, "I figured since I'll be going there I should get to know my surroundings right?" It was partly true, but his main reason was his ability to transform into a wolf at will. Before when it was only during the twilight zones he never had a second thought about the transformation, but now as he progressed through his journey he reasoned it wouldn't hurt anyone to learn a little bit more about...himself.

"Not on hand of course but I have quite a number at home," he smiled jubilantly, "They're quite fascinating. Ferocious beasts of course, but still amazing. Did you know that a wolf's body is designed so it can go extended periods of time without a single morsel of food." Really? Link wasn't sure he wanted to confirm that statement. The thought made his stomach produce a tiny rumble, "Oh! And that unlike domesticated dogs wolves have a mating season sometime in spring and-"

"Wait, spring? As in right about now?" Link's face paled slightly. He was going to walk through a wolf infested frozen tundra. In mating season. That couldn't possibly mean good news.

"Well - I suppose that would make it right about now wouldn't it?" Shad answered the obvious question, wondering why the mysterious man was so surprised about this information, "Does it make a difference if it is in spring or some other time?"

"No. No. It's-nothing," Link stuttered; however he was growing increasingly concerned. What did he know about wolves? For all he know they went around with no concerns for morality. Then a thought even worse popped up. Oh Goddesses, what if he- Link didn't want to finish the thought. What if primal instincts took over? What if-

"Link? Are you all right?" Shad questioned concerned. Link looked up to notice him staring at him with a worried expression.

Link attempted to put on a normal expression before responding, "Yeah, I-I'm fine, but, I think I should be heading out now."

"Yes yes. It was a pleasure talking to you Link. I do hope we have the time to do so again." He held out a hand for Link to shake and he grasped it willingly, wishing to leave before he'd be forced to explain his nervousness.

Link had expressed his gratitude and thanks to Shad and dropped a yellow on the counter before he headed towards the exit, but it was Telma who interrupted his departure, "Leaving already hun?" Link nodded and waved goodbye, topping it off with a disappointed 'yeah', "Alright honey, just remember your always welcome here."

Link nodded and speedily headed for the door. The warm light of Telma's bar fading behind him only to be replaced the glow of twilight outside. He noticed that while he was inside conversing the sun had already set.

He closed the door behind him and gulped in a few deep breathes. He didn't want to be rude to Telma and Shad back inside, but he did not want to hear the rest of that conversation. He didn't even want to think of it! Eugh. He took a calming breath and thought. However much he wanted to ignore it, the threat was real. If he was going to climb the mountain than he was for sure going to come across some wolves.

Link looked up at the darkening sky and an idea came to him. If he could just get through the mountain trails before sun up...Certainly he could make it through without any canine trouble. Wolves weren't nocturnal right? He tried to tell himself he was right and voted for getting through that mountain as fast as he could, "Hey Midna, can you warp me to Zora's Domain?"

"Hee hee. Someone's been thinking dirty."

"Midna," he scolded.

"Yes, yes, fine. Party pooper." She snapped before opening an azure portal above their heads and melded Links body into the form of a wild beast with the shadow crystal. He glanced down at his paw for a split second, staring at the dark strands of fur and having a wave of disgust being sent through him.

Mating.

As a wolf.

Link gulped, hoping he could traverse through the snowy trails as fast as possible before anything happened.

'Oh Goddesses, if this is a part of one of your tests I swear -' But Link wasn't able to finish his thought as Midna whisked both of them through the floating worm hole headed towards Zora's Domain.

{°~•••~°}

Hehe...I'm horrible... but don't worry Link as far the internet says its instigated by the males so you've got nothing to worry about. Plus it's not like you'll be allowed in their pack anyway. Or will he? 0.o I'm sensing future plot material.

Internet also says that wolves are more or less nocturnal. Or at least mo active with hunting at dusk.

If you wanna confirm anything about wolves go look it up, if I turn out wrong then it'd be awesome if you could correct me.

I'm using wolfos as a subdivision of wolves.

I realize this isn't really how the story goes but its close enough it _could _happen. Maybe.

If I got anything wrong, sorry it's been a while. I try and get the facts straight before writing but hey. Life happens.

So I decided to continue. If it ever gets to the point where I'm just not updating I'll probably reclose it.

I'll be focusing on some of the more Wolfy aspects of Link soo...yeh. Doing a bit of research on wolves to boot, it always annoys me when I see things I know aren't true.

All rights of the Legend of Zeldas belong to their respectful creator, Nintendo. I own none of this glorious franchise.

Please feel free to say whatever you want. If you're like me and don't know what to say you can answer some questions.

1) Do you feel Link stayed in character the whole time? I feel like the second part was odd. It was hard to keep kinda the stoic Link when I wanted him to freak out.

2) Settings and explanations. Do you feel they're enough? I know it's a ff and people kinda already known everything but I still like the stories to be stand alone so even new fan can understand without previous knowledge...

3) Was it funny? I hope...

Feel free to give the suggestions.

Up next-we see Link as a wolf! Finally.


	3. Biology and Magic at Work

**Biology and Magic at Work**

**~•°°°•~**

His eyes felt like lead and his body was pressed flat against the floor as if it was being held down by an angry Bo. There was a throbbing pain in the back of his head and the loud pattering of rain around him augmented the pain. When he felt the need to comfort the wound by cradling it, his arms could not move fluidly. It was only a stiff and jerky motion that resulted in lifting his hand barely an inch off the floor. His fingers struggled to wiggle themselves free and support his weight but remained in a single lump as if welded together.

He let his arm drop to the floor, relinquishing the attempt to move the cumbersome weight. Other attempts were made at lifting his body but it would not budge, and so he found himself lying in an immovable heap with the chilly, hard floor beneath him, a throbbing headache, and the annoying sound of falling rain.

Through some method however, Link managed to pry an eye open and look around at his surroundings. When he looked, the sight before him appeared fuzzy. It was likely the result of the pain inside his head, but was it also the reason his vision to seem so much...more? Without even moving his eye, his peripheral vision caught most of the room from the one eyed glance. It was not in focus, and along with blurred details it was impossible to make out, and yet there was so much that was just there. It was strange.

As he glanced around at the golden shaded world, unable to discern details, his eye flashed across surfaces of gray and black. In front of him dim rays of light peeked through pillars of gray spotted with floating black specs that squeezed in between the fleeting beams. His line of sight lazily scanned the room, continuing to see the dots and deciding to consider them dust or dirt, but identifying flying dirt, dispite the anomaly, did not help him confirm his location or even how he got in this situation. Thinking about the options sent his mind in a whirl that forced him to shut his eye and take a deep breath and relax.

He let his eye drift open to observe once again, the dark length at the corner of his vision successfully proving to be annoying. The entire arrangement of current events was quite an enigma in his head, and he couldn't make heads or tails of it. The world around him was so different. Surrounded in its ethereal glow, everything was like nothing he'd seen before. Where was he?

He blinked twice, clearing up the fuzz that had coated his vision and allowing him to see the room in more clarity. The decaying walls that rose up in his peripheral vision could now be identified as a stone wall built of bricks that had been sealed shut by iron bars. The room was quickly associated with a prison, of which he was the prisoner, but while his eyesight was clearing up, the pain and fuzz in the back of his head kept his memories at bay and did not allow him to recall the events before he found himself laying down on the floor. It seemed rather important though. If it wasn't he would not be locked in a cell. But despite racking his brain for answers, Link was unable to recall anything before that afternoon.

There was nothing he could do but sit there in the quiet atmosphere and mope about his pain while his consciousness slowly drifted away. The rain outside continued to pour as if Link's problems were of no concern at all, and the smell of blood was still present in the air.

He scrunched up his face at the metallic smell that permeated his nostrils. It had been there the entire time and refused to drift away. As he felt heavier on the floor, the thought escaped him of why there was blood in the room, and it sent a shiver through his body right before he fell back asleep. The blood might soon be his.

~•°°°•~

When he woke up for the second time, his head had stopped its painful throbbing, and he could think clearly without his brain hounding him with signals of pain. Blood was still ever present in the air and while the ache in the back of his head was nearly diminished, he still felt heavy tensions lulling him into a state of drowsy suspension. However, for the second time since his last sleepy escapade, he cracked open a heavy eye and peeked out into his surroundings.

Nothing had changed since his last attempt a waking up. The room was still lit with an eerie yellow glow and the stone walls and iron bars encasing him loomed high above, making him feel small and vulnerable. His vision on the other hand had cleared up and returned to a state of normalcy. He could clearly see the wall in front of him, the stone slabs, the collection of dirt and dust that congregated in the corners of the room. There was still a slight fuzz on minute details, something he never had problem with before, but he pushed the thought aside. The black blur at the center of his nose did not become clearer and he could not decipher what it was, or why it was there. With noticing the new enhancements in his vision, the blur was soon put out of mind and he hardly noticed it, now realizing instead that he had somehow procured a wide range of vision. It was interesting that despite only having one eye open he could see almost all the way around him. The assessment was a bit of a long shot as much of it wasn't even focused on, but the idea still struck with him: he could see so much differently than before he landed in this cell.

Curious of his newfound abilities, Link took in the bland walls of stones, the large crack that ran across its surface with a trickle of water seeping through, and the black specs that floated through the air like raising feathers. He noticed black and brown fuzz, something that was probably a bug, scurrying off the adjacent wall. Link's vision wandered around the room, not really taking in specific details but his eyes were always drawn to the little moving critters or liquids about the room. No matter where he looked Link was often distracted by the specs of black shadow that seem to be a permanent part of the air. He was curious about the lingering shadows in the air, wondering if there was such a thing as giant particles of dust, and felt compelled to get up and travel to it, almost enjoying the idea of chasing down the dot until he got it in his grasp.

Entertaining the idea of getting up and moving, he proceeded to work his limbs into a useful position. This was a difficult task as his limbs were stiff from a long absence of use. The pain in the back of his head flared up again as he sat up. It wasn't much now, just a cumbersome headache that was more annoying than painful. Ignoring the sting, he continued to bring his hands out in front of him to help support his weight, a light clanking sound following the action. The movement was awkward and he thought something might be wrong. He was concerned he might have broken his arm somehow, but ruled it out because he was not in pain nor was he gasping for air. Perhaps it had something to do with the cold object that weighed down his leg as he moved.

Link was uncertain as to why his arms felt unnecessarily stiff and lanky, so he looked down to see if any visual intake would give him an answer. Instead it left him even more confused. When he looked down for his hands, he couldn't find them. In their place two long limbs covered in fur rested before him. That couldn't be right he thought and looked around to find them but only came back to the fuzzy lengths. Where were his hands? His arms? Were they gone? Link was struck with the thought of fear. He didn't want these things to be his, they couldn't be his, but if they were then what did that mean? He swallowed his fear and made a move to pick up his arm, the chain that circled it jingling. The limb responded.

They were his. All his. This was really happening. His arms had morphed into like those of an animal, yet Link couldn't fathom why. He looked at his new arms, taking in their features: claws, chain, toes, fur. He turned what was his palm skyward to face him, but it wasn't a palm anymore. His breathing hitched when he realized something very important. The arm attached to him wasn't human. He recognized the shape, how could he not? His neighbor in Ordon owned one. This was a dog's leg. And it was his.

No. No. This couldn't be happening. He frantically lifted his newly identified paws from off the ground and pushed himself into a standing position. The motion was awkward and only succeeded in proving his fears. When he stood up his joints aligned themselves in their most natural position: with four legs on the floor. He could feel the ground beneath his paws, on both for and back legs. He didn't even have to turn around and look at his new body to realize it wasn't just his arms that had been morphed into those of a dog's, but his entire body. From the way he stood so naturally on four feet, not even feeling compelled to attempt a two legged walk, to the long thing at the bottom of his face right where his nose would have been. Put everything together and it all made sense. He was a dog. The thing attached to his face was a snout, and he now stood on the pads of his feet at half his normal height, trapped in a body that was not his own.

This was a frightening situation, and as much as Link prayed to the Goddesses that this wasn't real, he still had to face reality. Staring down gravely at his new paws, he lifted them up ever so slightly, like testing the waters, only in this case he was testing himself. This was his body now; he had to live with it. For how long he was unsure, but the new shape was already far past its welcome. He took a deep breath and swallowed, a long tongue sweeping across a set of sharp teeth. He stopped doing that because he was afraid of the fangs that sat in his mouth. They weren't dull like his front or back teeth used to be. No, these were sharp and meant for tearing and ripping.

Link roughly shook his head. He didn't want to accept any of this, no matter how real all of it was. He sat back down with his face beneath his paws, not even able to find comfort in the familiar gesture because of his canine body. He couldn't even cry in his moment of hopelessness, his pitiful body unable to, and the soft whimpers he muttered just serve to drive the nail in even deeper. This was all happening wasn't it? He felt _so_ far from home, from what he knew was real. Everything he knew had been turned upside down. By law of logic this should not be happening, but he was a dog, and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it.

He tried to take calming breaths through his mouth to sooth his frayed emotional state. He took one deep breath before opening his eyes and regaining visual stimulus. He stared at the paws lying gently across his snout, the sight unclear from this close and just let out a deep breath, listening to the sound of rain outside. This was his reality and he had to face it. He set his paws down on the icy, stone floor and moved his joints so he sat on his haunches, only to quickly jolt up when he felt himself sitting on something. He turned his head around to stare at the limply hanging tail attached to his rump. Sighing in resignation he tried to kick the thing out from under him this time before sitting down again.

Dully he glared at this paws for the umpteenth time that hour, still trying to accept his new form. When he stared at the paw this time he finally took carful notice of the silver shackle attached. The chain length expanded from his leg to clamp on the floor not too far away. The whiff of air he breathed in from the chain didn't smell ideal at all. It smelled like blood and rotten flesh. He subconsciously wondered if the blood would be _his_ next. He looked up from brooding to stare at the metal bars a few feet off. This was a criminal cell he repeated, and he was a prisoner. A prisoner chained to the floor in the body of a dog.

Link didn't have an inkling of why he was locked up. His head no longer whined with pain, but the events from early where still a complete mystery to him. How long had it even been? And was earlier still the same day? It was impossible to tell when locked in a cell with no windows. The room however, still glowed yellow and was spotted with black dust. Then perhaps it was sunset outside and the color of light had leaked in from somewhere.

Link tried to brainstorms reason he was here, but his mind came blank. It came up even more empty when he tried to reason the cause of his transformation. No one would need him as a dog, and forcing him into one was too much work if whoever was just going to keep him as a prisoner. If he ever wanted to know why he was a dog then he would need to get out.

He picked up his body, standing comfortably on four legs and pausing slightly to accept that he could. Walking wasn't difficult to figure out. It was almost like crawling. Just one foot after the other he told himself, trying to ignore the clacking of nails against floor.

Link brought himself over to the chain clamp welded to the center of the room. The metallic smell of blood was present yet again on the chain, but the smell of blood was nothing new to him, it had been permeating the air for quite some time now. It was something else that made him afraid to near the clamp any further. He didn't know why, but something about the clamp made him back away from a fear that chilled his bones. But even when he did, the sense did not dissipate; it was still very much there. In fact, turning away from the source did not help; it was everywhere. He hadn't realized it before since he wasn't looking for it, but now that he noticed it no matter which way he turned the feeling of fear was drowning in the air.

He wanted to leave. The feeling of fear in the air made himself even more afraid of his trapped situation. Even if he was a dog he had to leave this cell. He would deal with his transformation after he escaped. However, attempting to slide the shackle off proved fruitless; his paw was too wide by the toes. Not even raking his claws across the metal did anything more than make a shrieking noise. He was growing impatient. Fear was still drenching the air as well as the bloody, metallic tang. There was another smell as well, something akin to a light fire, but it was drowned out by other smells.

Frustrated, Link didn't know what else to do so he bit at the chain, his long teeth fitting through the loops in the links. The plan didn't have as much success as he hoped it would have, even shaking the chain roughly with his head only created a rattling noise made of metal that clanked against the hard floor. Link released his grip on the metallic chain and let it drop loudly.

There had to be another was to get out of this depressing situation. Link didn't know what though. All he did know was that he was trapped in the body of a dog, chained to the floor, and locked in a cell that smelt of blood, feces, and a strong feeling of fear that weighed down on him. In no sense was Link feeling well, and all he wanted to do was leave this strange place. He didn't even understand why he was here locked up, or even why he was a dog. What had happened to get him in this situation? He was not able to remember anything past seeing Ilia at the spring. And wait...there was something else...something bad happened. Why couldn't he remember?!

His concentration was stolen when the pointed flaps on his head, ears he corrected, shot up on their own accord. That was something new he never could have done in his human body. Right, not human anymore. He pondered why they had turned; he hadn't told them to, but he was hearing a soft breathing behind him as well as the fiery smell from before. This was concerning; no one was there before. Something strange was happening.

Link whipped his head around to identify the perpetrator. The creature that stood at the back of his square room was a female thing that resembled a human far too well. He stood there, shocked, staring at the black and white creature with an enormous helmet situated on its head. The glowing blue swirls painted across its body provided a different texture of light than the yellowed room had before. Within moments of Link staring slack jawed at the impish creature it jumped and flew over his head. His eyes catching the flowing strands of dirty blonde hair as they settled back down to their original position when the being landed.

Awoken from his trance, his body reacted automatically. His lips curled up onto his face to flaunt his lengthened fangs. He hadn't meant to be on the aggressive when he didn't even know what it was, but something about the ear to ear grin and the air of confidence that surrounded it made him on edge. Even the hair on his back seemed to be in agreement.

Blue eyes locked to gold and Link was stared at the short female, its breathing constant before leaning over and widened the smile, "I found you!" She laughed jovially.

What had he gotten himself into?

~•°°°•~

°So clarification:

•Also I got it wrong in the last chapter. Wolves have babies in the spring. They mate more like late winter. But all will be fixed in later chapters. Kind of.

•Why does he keep calling himself a dog instead of a wolf? Give him a break, the guy hasn't gotten a chance to see his face yet.

•It's hard to know what emotions smell like or really what anything smells like to a dog, but based on human findings the smell of emotions is mainly on subconscious level that we don't realize. So I'm keeping emotions as a non-fragrant smell.

•From what I've researched, wolves see just fine in human standards. Correct me if I'm wrong (science lingo is hard) they can't see very close things well or extremely far things? Maybe... and are much more responsive to motion especially at dim light. They are more or less red/green color blind. I'll be going more into the color blind thing later, I've already described Midna as such (hopefully), but there's not much for him to notice.

-Please though if you're like dog savvy or something and have anything to share or say I'll appreciate the knowledge. Or some story plots are always welcome.

•I know other canine senses are stronger than vision, but I felt it more practical for Link to focus on vision first. Reason being, as a human his major sensory was sight, so in my mind it makes sense his brain would automatically try and do something its most accustomed to, taking visual ques. Also there's that thing where if you're in a room for a while you stop notice the smell. That's kinda there too.

•Yeah, I know. The scene didn't go that way. But in all honesty Link took transforming into a wolf too dang well. No normal person would be like "OMG. I'm a wolf...sigh- this sucks...gotta find a way out though." That's Link's reaction in the game. Normal people would be like "OMFG IMMA DOG NOO~ FFIFNNFRKRRIJRNFNFFN *CRY* WAH MY LIFE, MY CELLPHONE, THE INTERNET- I CANT USE IT WAH." Well at least I would.

**All rights of the Legend of Zelda series belongs to its proper creators, Nintendo and such. I'm innocent and own nothing, so don't sue me for being awesome.**

Please feel free to say whatever you like. I'll appreciate anything you say.:-) . If you want to review but don't know what to say you could answer some questions.

1) So what'd you think overall? This was a focus on Link's emotions and Wolfy senses; do you think I did it alright?

2) Any questions on why I did what I wrote? I'll probably be able to answer them.

3) What do you think about smelling emotions? Like, smelling fear? How do you think it work? Smelly?


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